Dermatopathology 101: Part 1 - Inflammatory skin diseases

Dermatopathology is an indispensable tool in the diagnostic workup of inflammatory and neoplastic lesions. For the dermatologist in everyday clinical practice, basic knowledge of dermatopathology is highly valuable, as it allows for proper classification and interpretation of histological findings, as well as their correlation with the clinical picture (especially in case of inflammatory skin diseases). Such basic understanding is also important with regard to selecting the appropriate biopsy technique, thus increasing the overall diagnostic quality. The present article describes the diagnostic approaches taken by dermatopathologists in the histological workup of inflammatory skin diseases. The basic principles of this workup are highlighted on the basis of key histological patterns. Published in an upcoming issue, the second part of this article will address the histological characteristics of the most common skin tumors.